With the fresh smell of grass and the perfection of the baselines, high school baseball season is officially in full swing for Manitou Springs High School (MSHS). The Mustangs opened their season against Evangelical Christian Academy at home on Tuesday, March 12th. The starting roster saw many old faces as well as four freshmen starting and a fifth contributing on offense. The theme of competitiveness that had been ever so apparent during the preseason was just as noticeable and this is what led the Mustangs to a great start of the 2019 season. 

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Manitou responded by scoring two in the bottom of the first to take a lead that they would hold for the rest of the game. After extending the lead to 4-2, the Mustangs would add one more run in the bottom of the sixth to seal the deal for their first win of the season. 

Although this game was a great starting point for the team as a whole, it also has lad a foundation for the underclassmen to build on as they begin to develop not only their physical skills but strengthen their mentality as well. 

Raymond McCaskey (9) has a strong outing in his first Varsity game, going one for three at the plate with a single. 

“It was scary at first, but it was a lot of fun,” said McCaskey, reflecting on his nerves during the game. McCaskey is part of a well-performing freshman class that has already begun to prove their worth to the team. 

Along with a great first performance by the young players, older leaders such as Christian Mack (12) led the team by performing at a stellar level. Mack pitched all seven innings of the game for the Mustangs, as he allowed only two runs off of four hits as well as striking out five batters. Mack, still with a 0.00 earned run average, will continue to lead the Mustangs on the mound this year. 

The Mustangs will be back at home Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, March 20-22 for tournament play before they head to Arizona to compete in another large scale, inter-state tournament.